flying.farther

Five O’Clock People is back after five and a half years gone. I’m giddy all over. They released a new cd last night and you can hear a lot of the new songs here.

Also, below is a video of them last night going through one of their old songs, “Blame.” The mixing could be better, but this is supposed to be a rough teaser anyways. Still, give ‘em a chance and I think you’ll be pleased.

I suppose I’m forming an informal series on intense personal pain. I’ve got three other posts here, here and here.

As I try to work out faith and life, I keep finding holes and flaws in American Christianity and so I attempt to fill the gaps or correct the theological warping. Some ways I change are through theological constructions and seeking out the conclusions (which is more often than not, other people). But there are also works outside of Christian theology where one can find rest.

Finding places of rest cannot be underestimated. Some places are between the hurting human and the divine, but there are also other places that deal with the situation of pain but are reflections by humans on these human experiences and sometimes may indirectly lead us back to the divine.

I have found some rather helpful, “current” works and figured I would mention a couple of them for the benefit of those who are searching who are likewise in pain. But by all means, anyone with a suggestion please leave a comment.

In the middle of this past August, Kenneth Branaugh’s Hamlet was finally released on dvd and I got myself a copy. I was already a huge fan of the play and this movie’s interpretation ever since high school, but now I find this work incredibly helpful, especially disc 1. Father murdered by the brother. Brother now becomes king and very quickly marries widowed queen. Son Hamlet is also rejected by Ophelia, while he reals from the parental problems and whether or not Hamlet will take revenge. And in all this, Branaugh does an excellent job.

Kaddish by Leon Wieseltier is nearly 600 pages of mourning, in all its fluctuating manic glory. You can pick it up and start reading almost anywhere and put it down whenever you want. There is no push to read an argument or finish a plot, but instead to see that the fellow anguished exist in highs and lows as well. This is Jewish grief expertly written. And all the heartache aside, Wieseltier tells some really good history stories within the text, as he searches his Jewish tradition.

And there is always some melancholic music. I suggest Brahms Cello Sonatas.

One of my favorite bands of all times is back together. Yes, they’re back and I know this because their myspace page says so. What band is it you say? Why its Five O’Clock People of course and best of all, a cd is in the works. The website says they had time in June to record. Woo hoo!

Only recently have I returned to their music, after a year or so on hiatus from music in general and more life experience (including that storm I mentioned earlier a few posts ago), their music has taken on a near mythic quality, its at least certainly cathartic and haunting - if not personality shaping (in a good way). Anyways, I could go on for pages about their music, nonetheless, if you want to know what the band is about, I suggest giving a listen to In the Bleak Midwinter with special emphasis on, In the Bleak Midwinter, Sorry and Glass (but don’t forget the other songs, they’re great as well). However, by far and away, my favorite song and most apt for a relationship - both as a description of a proper relationship, but also an eschatological envisioning of where relationships ought to go - is House of God.

There has been talk around the theoblogosphere about creating a new meme. I have an idea: In your opinion, theologically, what is the worst song, ever? And why?

Now I elect to stay away from songs of worship like hymns or modern day worship songs, mainly because I’m not interested age-old debates like Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Actually this is really an excuse to talk about one of my least favorite song. Ever. However, everyone else, feel free to name your own least favorite, and then a song to replace it.

My father came into town this last Friday and we went to see the Yankees get beat by the Mets up at Yankee stadium (much to the disappointment of my father), even with Clements pitching. During the seventh inning stretch, the people in-charge played the ever so popular “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” song over the speakers, but then a second song, one that churns up a deeply-rooted negative emotions inside of me, was played – “God, bless America.” Now of course this reaction stems from the critique about the nation-state, yoking church with violence, nationality vs. ecclesiology, blah blah blah. Same old stuff really. Good stuff, but not particularly new stuff if you know me or have read this blog much. My single greatest objection to the song is to the idea of a divinely sanction modern nation-state. So how about God blesses all people? That sounds like something God really does like to do. Since when were we ever so good to be divinely sanctioned, or even actually graciously blessed above all the other nations? Stupid false myths. We’re “blessed” because we have taken from the poor and killed many others for our “freedom” and “liberty” - our riches are blood money.

Anyways, I do have a song to suggest, and a song that in fact proceeded “God, Bless America” by five minutes at Yankee stadium – “You Shook Me All Night Long.” Yep, you read it right. It was only a couple months ago that I first really paid attention to the lyrics. Good lord it was nearly scandalous. Funny enough though, and perhaps not all that surprising, I can find a theological parallel – “Song of Songs.” Honestly, the only reason we do not blush the hues of the sun when we read that book in the Bible is because we don’t understand really what “his banner over me is love” really means. Yes, next time at church, when people up on stage sing that song, you can see how much we misunderstand the text. So “his banner” means God’s protection for us? Right…. See what happens when the church acts repressive? We miss the erotic power, we cleave off parts of our humanity – vitality and zest (the spices of life if you will), and get that god awful “Christian dating/courtship” subculture.

I “create” the podcasts here at Union now. I say this because soon I’ll be posting up a podcast that should help open one’s eyes to spices in the Bible.

As I look around the theoblogosphere, I’ve noticed that the title for this blog might seem odd, or even perhaps patronizing, in comparison to other titles. It is also not very descriptive up front, so here is my effort to give a better descriptive identity to a blog titled flying.farther.

I got the title from my favorite Jars of Clay song. I do like a lot of other music, instead of “Christian Music,” like: the Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Crosstide, Queen, Lovedrug, and moody, slow Chopin sonatas and preludes. However, this Jars song has got to be one of my favorite songs. I highly suggest that one gives it a listen somehow, it was in the White Elephant sessions cd.

As you will probably notice over time, I really, and I mean really, like ecclesiology. I titled the blog “flying.farther” because with a creative interpretation, the song can be understood as a relational reading of the body of Christ — we love one another through this life and onto the next, inspite of the pain associated with the fallen world. Also, it has a depiction of solidarity with the dead: heartfelt rememberance. The outcome of the reading is that I myself do not move farther, but rather we all grow old together, moving farther into the promises of God and the Divine itself.

Flying Farther
He picked her up some flowers
On a sunday afternoon
They sat out on the porch swing
Underneath the cresent moon
Life times seemed to pass
Staring at the skies
And on the swing he gave her the ring
There were tears in her eyes
He said I pray I’m not alone
In my dreams about forever
You and I could become one
And always be together
We’d grow old and wise
Through all the days
For worse or for better
And now the truth cause I love you
Even now more than ever
And a lifetime flies but we’ll fly farther
Into the night where the eyes of loneliness can never bother
All our dreams of together uneclipsed by never never
Lifetime finds it’s in your eyes, but we’ll fly farther
Fifty years have ridden off into the sunset
And the tears that we have cried have overflown
Here we are counting scars, wounds of life and ending upsets
Your with me and I’m with you and I will never forget
Lifetime flies but we’ll fly farther
Into the night where the eyes of loneliness will never bother
All our dreams of together uneclipsed by never never
Lifetime finds it’s in your eyes, but we’ll fly farther
He picked her up some flowers
On a sunday afternoon
He rode the Grayhound bus past the house they used to swoon
He knelt beside the grave, hung his head, a teardrop fell
And on the stone the epitaph shone the words he knew so well…
Lifetime flies but we’ll fly farther
Into the night where the eyes of loneliness will never bother
All our dreams of together uneclipsed by never never
Lifetime finds it’s in your eyes, but we’ll fly farther
Lifetime flies but we’ll fly farther
Into the night where the eyes of loneliness will never bother
All our dreams of together, uneclipsed by never never
Lifetime finds it’s in your eyes, but we’ll fly farther
We’ll fly farther
We’ll fly farther